


Crossing the Rubicon

by Mysterious_Prophetess



Series: Bittersweet Memories [6]
Category: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi | Spirited Away, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Gen, Reincarnation, Sensei | All For One is Midoriya Izuku's Parent, Sensei | All For One is Not Midoriya Hisashi, Spirited Away AU, Tuna's Spirited Away AU, dad for one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28746960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterious_Prophetess/pseuds/Mysterious_Prophetess
Summary: Izuku is at a crossroads.Does he tell the Dragon who's been aggressively attempting to adopt him (and possibly turn him into a copy of his son) that technically the adoption would be redundant or does he keep it to himself.
Series: Bittersweet Memories [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100699
Comments: 4
Kudos: 144





	Crossing the Rubicon

Izuku had wrestled with the truth his Uncle had told him, and he’d said pretty boldly then he wasn’t going to run from it but, when faced with how to deal with his first life’s sire and current life’s pain in the tail, he was drawing a blank.

Until he figured out how he wanted to handle his connection to All Rivers in One, as well as what relationship he wanted with the elder dragon, Izuku resolved to simply go about his life as normal. Avoidance of the Lord of Dragons included.

Toshinori was off bringing rain and Izuku wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk to Nana about this.

The courier found himself at the Bathhouse and realized this was his last stop for the day.

_I could visit the others!_

Izuku landed and transformed into his humanoid form, the missives for the Witch in hand. He waved to the desk attendant who absentmindedly waved back as they dealt with an upset family of Kappa.The elevator ride up was uneventful and Izuku was able to place the scrolls meant for the Witch down on her desk quietly as she dressed down one of her middle managers and left with a quick bow before he was free to relax for the rest of the day.

“It’s been a while, Deku.”

“Shouto!” Izuku said whenever he saw it was the Lord of Fire Mountain and Lady of Eternal Winter’s son. The Fire-ice Spirit was in his humanoid form.

“I was thinking I might have to invite you to Father’s domain,” Shouto said as they walked.

“U—Lord One River for All keeps me very busy,” Izuku said.

“Indeed. Father barely trusts me to travel between here and his domains,” Shouto said.

“Still no luck in getting permission to visit your mother and other siblings?” Izuku asked.

“Not as of yet,” Shouto said.

“Have you tried writing them?” Izuku asked.

“I have. They’d love to meet with me but per an arrangement Father made with the witch, we cannot be here at the same time, much like the arrangement your Lord and the Lord of Dragons have,” Shouto said.

“That’s awful.”

“It’s political, but we’re still working on a way around it,” Shouto said.

“Hey, Sho—oh! Deku!!” Urara hugged Izuku around the neck. With her was Mina, who looked like she was a shade pinker than last Izuku had seen her.

“I’ve done so well with message delivery I was allowed to pick another to train!” Urara said as she gestured at Mina.

“Wow! Horn twins!” Mina said as she pointed from her horns to Izuku’s.

“Are you gonna stick around for a bit?” Urara asked.

“Yeah. I had some time and thought I’d catch up with everyone. Is Zawa awake you, do you think?” Izuku asked.

“Should be. Takes a while to get the boilers at full capacity!” Urara said.

“We’d better go. Management spotted!” Mina said before the two girls dashed off.

“I suppose I’ll slip out to see you later,” Shouto said whenever he glanced up. Izuku followed his gaze to see it was the Lord of Fire Mountain himself who was glaring down.

“See you!” Izuku shifted into his dragon form and used that as a short cut down the many levels of the bathhouse to the bath floor.

If he wasn’t careful, he might end up taking a nap. With that thought, Izuku went back to humanoid form and carefully made his way to the side door that led down to the boiler room where Zawa worked and lived. He leapt over the sleeping form of Zawa’s permanent roommate the Biwa-bokuboku named Hiza. Hiza had two broken strings on his face that Izuku thought looked like a mustache and Hiza had made himself a sort of wig attached to the neck of his biwa shaped head because he thought it looked cool. The Bakeneko was awake already. He was in humanoid form and his dark tails were twitching.

“Since you’re not making too much noise, I’m guessing you’re trying to surprise me,” Zawa said in a bored tone.

“It’s been a while since I visited.”

“Deku. What brings you back to the boiler room? You’re not working here again, are you?”

“No! Not that, that there's anything wrong with that I just finished my route as a courier early and it was here and I decided to visit!” Izuku said as he waved his hands in front of himself.

“Relax. I’m glad you got out. I’m glad when anyone gets out,” Zawa said. The little soot creatures crowded closer to Izuku, one of them patted their own head part which made Izuku reach up and find a soot creature had landed on one of his horns and had been stuck.

“Here you go,” Izuku said as he put it down. The others swarmed it and vanished off to make soot mess elsewhere.

“Any new kids?” Izuku asked.

“Couple. Saki, Toshinori’s old protege has his assistant ghost on that detail,” Zawa said.

“You don’t approve?”

“It’d be better to funnel the kids out to the human world than in here,” Zawa said with a sniff.

“And leave their family behind?”

“If the adults are dumb enough? Yes.”

“Zawa, there’s nothing for miles out there!”

“Better than servitude here,” Zawa said. His red-cat eyes flicked up and down Izuku’s body as he said that, which made Izuku acutely aware of how inhuman he was now thanks to his prolonged stay in the spirit world.

“You…have a point,” Izuku said.

“Most kids aren’t like you, and they don’t save their parents in time or they forget and then there is no saving any of them. You’ve given others hope that they can at least get out of here,” Zawa said after a moment.

“I’m going to stick around for dinner. Will I see you there?” Izuku said.

“If I can get the boilers running well enough,” Zawa said.

* * *

Izuku slipped back onto the main floor without much hassle until he bumped into a very well dressed spirit.

“What do you think you’re doing, you worthless urchin!” Izuku felt himself bristle. _Urchin!_ He glared at the puffed up mushroom spirit and it backed down a little at first but then it outright fled after a few moments more as if something or someone else had just shown up and were more intimidating than a young dragon.

A dark chuckle confirmed Izuku’s suspicions. He whirled around, hackles still raised,

“I had it handled!” he said.

“Of course you did, Little Stream,” Lord Shigaraki said.

“Don’t you have baths at your own home?” Izuku asked.

“I do but there is something nice about a bathhouse. Doesn’t my brother provide baths at his estate?”

“You know full well Uncle is not some pauper and I’m here visiting friends!” Izuku snapped. It was only after the smirk on Lord Shigaraki’s face bloomed into a full smile that Izuku realized his slip.

“Uncle was it? But my brother has but one sibling in existence and only a child of mine would be able to claim him as such, wouldn’t they?”Lord Shigaraki said. Izuku wanted to bolt. Yet,

_I’d promised I wouldn’t run from this._

“Your point being?” Izuku said.

“Come now, Little Stream, is that anyway to address your father?” Lord Shigaraki said.

“I’m not discussing this out in the open,” Izuku said.

“Naturally. Just come with me and we’ll discuss it to your heart’s content.”

“After dinner. I promised my friends I’d eat with them….father,” Izuku said. The “father” felt, forced but…also it didn’t feel totally wrong.

“I’d be delighted to speak with you then, my Little Stream,” Lord Shigaraki said.

* * *

“It’s great to see you again, kero!” Tsu said as Izuku joined everyone in the worker’s dining hall—Izuku having bought a quick meal from the stands outside and smuggled it inside. He wasn’t about to take the food of the people who worked at the bathhouse. Shouto snuck down with his own smuggled in food, but in this case it was to contribute to the table as a whole and he shared with the others without qualms.

“Heard you ran into Lord Shigaraki again. Isn’t he ever gonna give up?” Mina said.

“No,” Izuku said.

“What? I’m the new kid so I don’t understand half of what’s going on and why’s this dragon guy and the rich guy eating with us?” A boy with yellow hair and mouse ears said.

“Nari meet Deku and Shouto. Deku used to work here until he won his freedom and now works for the Dragon One River for All or One for All or Lord Shigaraki the Younger. Shouto’s dad’s a frequent guest and the Lord of Fire Mountain but Shouto’s actually pretty cool! Lord Shigaraki the Elder or the Lord of Dragons or Lord All Rivers in One or Lord All for One has a weird obsession with Deku,” Urara said.

“Wait, you used to work here?” Nari said.

“Yep,” Izuku said.

“And your dad’s some rice muckily-muck and you still choose to hang out with us?” Nari pointed at Shouto who was slurping up a bowl of cold soba. Shouto nodded.

“His dad’s kinda a flaming garbage fire,” Kiri said.

“Whoa! What’s with the shark teeth, Kiri?”

“Dunno. Just like that I guess,” Kiri said. Izuku winced. He’d been present for when Kiri had arrived and his father had been slaughtered the next night because his dad had become a massive bull and the Witch loved beef. Kiri lost his memories the very next day following that.

“Whatcha eating, Deku?” Urara asked.

“Katsudon. There’s a stand selling some out there and I was craving it,” Izuku said. He saw Urara eye his takeout container hungrily but he held it closer to his chest. _It’s not as good as Mom’s but it’s good enough for now…_

* * *

“Deku! Wait!” Izuku stopped and looked back at Nari who’d run up to him, yellow hair messy and face flushed. He'd managed to get pretty far from the employee dining hall, which made Nari's feat all the more impressive.

“How’d you do it? Get free?” Nari asked.

“I remembered who I was and I knew who my mom was,” Izuku said.

“I’ve got the first part down but how do I do the second?” Nari asked.

“Trust in your heart. It’s the advice One for All gave me. That and….follow me!” Izuku said.

* * *

Slipping into the animal pens was just as easy as before. Izuku closed his eyes and searched the sea of animals for any that might smell like Nari. He found a pair of pigs and led Nari to them.

“That’s your father and mother. Learn what they look like and trust that you’ll be able to tell them apart from any others,” Izuku said.

“Thanks, Deku.”

* * *

“You have quite the soft spot for lost causes, Little Stream,” Lord Shigaraki said once Izuku exited the bath house premises.

“It’d be unfair of me not to help others,” Izuku said. Lord Shigaraki shifted forms and beckoned Izuku to follow. After a moment’s hesitation, Izuku too was in dragon form. Despite his growth, he still looked so small compared to the Lord of Dragons.Izuku spotted Toshinori after a while.

“I need to let him know I went with you without any foul play or Uncle will worry,” Izuku said before he dove down to the wolf okami.

“Young Deku, are you alright?” Toshinori asked as he paused his storm front.

“I’m fine. Tell One for All I went with his brother willingly and I’ll be back sometime tomorrow at the latest,” Izuku said.

“He’s not hurting you?”

“No.”

“I trust you know what you’re doing with him,” Toshinori said with a toss of his head.

“I hope I do.”

* * *

Lord Shigaraki’s domain was massive and absolutely covered in rivers. There were also girls riding oars leading boats of spirits up into the sky.

“As the Commander of All Rivers, I also am in charge of ferrying the dead from the world of the living to the Halls of the Dead for their judgment and processing,” Lord Shigaraki said. Izuku said nothing as they flew past the dead. He spotted other dragons going to and from the castle but most he saw were serving as sort of guards for the ferry girls and bouncers to keep rowdier spirits in line. They were in the inner walls before Izuku could spend too long to ponder what he’d seen. They landed in what appeared to be a private courtyard that was arranged like something out of a dream.

_It is because that’s what happens when you have memories of your past life as dreams, Izuku…._

Lord Shigaraki motioned towards the open doors facing the courtyard revealing a well decorated traditional style room that Izuku in this life hadn’t seen outside of period dramas his mother loved to watch or museums. He was a little nervous to sit on a cushion across from Lord Shigaraki but the time for reservations was long since past.

“What caused the sudden change of heart, Little Stream?”

“I think you already know,” Izuku said.

“Do I?”

“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?” Izuku said.

“Yes. After the show you’ve put on for these last years I think I’m entitled to hearing you say it out loud,” Lord Shigaraki said.

“I don’t know what I expected. I accepted that, …that I was Kohino reincarnated and…and that the Uncle I chose was my Uncle….. which means— in a way—…. you’re…you’re also my….my father,” Izuku said. It took physical effort for Izuku to say those words.

“See? Was it so bad?” Lord Shigaraki said.

“Yes,” Izuku said flatly. Lord Shigaraki shocked Izuku whenever he burst out laughing.

“Oh, that look on your face is one I saw my brother give me a lot when he was about your size,” he said once the laughter subsided.

“What can I say, I take after the saner parts of the family,” Izuku said.

“And that was so very much _me_ ,” Lord Shigaraki said.

“If you really want me to consider you my..my father, you’re going to have to accept I’m not going to be the idealized form of Kohino you’ve kept alive in your heart all these years. I’m not him. I’m his reincarnation, but I’m…willing to give you a chance,” Izuku said.

“You make this sound like a formal arrangement,” Lord Shigaraki said.

“I won’t call you “Papa” but I’ll call you “Father” and I’ll let you claim me as your son but you have to accept me as I am and that I’m going to want to continue being Uncle’s courier,” Izuku said.

“That’s an awful lot of concessions for me to make, Little Stream.” Izuku sighed and stood up.

“I’ll go then.”

“Wait.” Izuku looked over and for a moment there was a look on the elder dragon’s face that wasn’t a sneer or amusement or any other emotion he’d normally wear. This seemed genuine.

“You accept your place as my son and I accept you are you are and we can be a family?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, Father.”

“It’s not “Papa” but I’ll get used to it. I supposed you’d have outgrown it eventually if things had gone more smoothly,” Lord Shigaraki—no— _Father_ said. He agreed to it too, so he'd better live up to his end of things.

“I’d better go, Father.”

“Go where, Little Stream?”

“Uncle’s house?”

“Not at this time of night you’re not. If you wish to see your Uncle, you’ll wait until morning,” Father said.

“Fine. I’m getting up early and going back to work as his courier or he might think you took me against my will.”

“I suppose if that’s what it takes to keep him from trying to get you back out of a misguided sense of saving you, so be it,” Father said with a huff. He pulled Izuku into a sudden hug, his chin resting on his head just behind his horns. The embrace wasn’t quite like Uncle’s but…it was nice in its own way.

_Maybe this isn’t a mistake._

“Now, let’s get you to bed!” Father said as he adjusted his grip and picked Izuku up like he weighed nothing. He was set down in a room filled with dolls and toys fit for a child half his age. There was a western style bed made up with plush blankets in pastel colors giving off a very nursery like vibe.

“Have a good sleep!”

_On second thought….._

**Author's Note:**

> I chose the other titles because I liked the phrases, titles (of books or paintings) or song lyrics.  
> This was a deliberate choice since it matched the meaning I was going for with this fic.  
> Also, the Rubicon's a river and as a lame nerd, I liked the connection to water since River Dragons.  
> Eh.
> 
> A-hem. So,
> 
> I made Present Mic a type of tsukumogami, that is an object that obtains sentience after a century of existence. I chose to make him specifically a biwa boku-boku because it's an instrument and he makes a lot of noise. 
> 
> I gave Shouto an appearance. As I started this series with the end of the _Spirited Away_ film's plot, a lot of the ideas floating about the AU involving characters like Shouto I haven't been able to touch.  
> I've been meaning to go back and work them in, like I did now. 
> 
> Does (Kami)Nari save his parents? I haven't decided yet. If he doesn't, he's basically going to turn into Pikachu/Raichu. I know those aren't traditional spirits but I think he'd look cute like that. 
> 
> I made Mirio a ghost outright and Sir Nighteye taking on the permanent Haku-esque role of helping human kids not die if their parents eat the food and they don't.
> 
> Poor Kiri(shima) was just unlucky his dad turned into such a desirable animal. 
> 
> Yeah, I'm sort of implying that in my tangent all the characters from canon whose names I've truncated were humans who became warped by the spirit world. 
> 
> If it seems like AfO gave in too easily there, it's because he finally noticed there was too much of his brother in Izuku for any sort of forcible assimilation into the life he imagined to end well. 
> 
> If he'd gotten Izuku any time before the end of the _Spirited Away_ plot thread, I think he'd have gotten his way for sure but after Izuku learned to stand on his own and face things head on—damage was done and he lives up to the traits he shares with his past-life's Uncle. 
> 
> But, he's not going to give up completely. This is AfO we're talking about here!
> 
>  **edit added later the same day as posting** : wow you can tell I posted this at too-late-o'clock in the morning. So many errors, oy...at least I think I've gotten the worst of them?


End file.
